Free Fishing in New York State

Written By Claudia Milroy

This weekend New York State host’s Free Fishing for residents and non-residents who are 16 years and older to fish without a fishing license. (Children under 16 can always fish without a license.) The Outlet Trail offers stocked fishing areas along the waterway but you can cast off on any lakefront too! Our family loves taking this opportunity to get outdoors, walk the trail, and drop our lines in. 

Let’s get you fishing! Keuka Lake is well known for lake trout, brown trout, and smallmouth bass but because of the warmer water in this shallower Finger Lake, you will also catch largemouth bass, perch and pike. 

Fishing from the boat: 

Start early in the morning before the lake gets busy with skiing and tubing fanatics. At dusk the the boaters dock again and water gets calm for another opportunity to catch a big one. For the best deep-water trolling check out the Hammondsport Basin in the early morning hours for Lake Trout. For largemouth and smallmouth bass get out on the water at dawn and dusk with topwater lures. Midday you’ll find the bass resting in deep ledges, rocky points, and at dock areas that provide shade. Try your jigs or drop shots. The perch will be biting best in the morning and evening hours too, head to the sandy or rocky drop-offs. A perch fry is sounding really good about now!

Fishing from land: 

If you are looking for a public lakefront to angle at, Keuka Lake State park offers public water access for fishing. Head to the boat ramp and a drop a line in along the concrete wall or head down the wooded walking path connecting the boat ramp and the pavilion. This path has discrete trails that lead down to the waterfront offering a peaceful spot to cast your line. The public dock at the Pavilion is also a popular spot to cast from, you’ll often see fish swimming under the dock in the shade.

In Penn Yan at the mouth of the Outlet & Keuka Lake is the Indian Pines Park. You’ll find plenty of parking and the flat shore offers accessible fishing for all. Following the Outlet current you’ll find a windy wooded trail that offers open areas to stop and cast into the Outlet too. The Outlet connects Keuka Lake to Seneca lake and is stocked in the spring and fall with rainbow trout, brown trout and other freshwater fish. 

Fish actively feed in the shallow, warm waters of the Outlet and are often found near structures, like docks and weed beds. You’ll fish out trout, as well as large and smallmouth bass in the Outlet. Following the flow of the Outlet towards Seneca Lake, you’ll find multiple popular fishing spots in downtown Penn Yan including the Penn Yan Village Boat Ramp and docks, the pedestrian bridges to drop a line in, the public docks that line the Outlet as well as clearings along the paved path. 

The fishing doesn’t stop at the bridges in Penn Yan, just follow the Outlet Trail, a 6.8 Mile long gravel trail to Dresden. Multiple parking areas line the Outlet Trail offer convenient access to the many fishing holes. As you discover the trails look for the wood painted signs noting the area is stocked. Check out the the Keuka Outlet Trail website for a Trail Map to plan your fishing adventure: Trail Maps

We are a novice fishing family and cast out for the fun of it all. We will use a mix of live bait and fishing lures to see what’s biting. For us, its about getting out, soaking in the sun, having a good laugh (someone will get their line snagged!) and spending time together. Now get outdoors, enjoy the weather! This opportunity is perfect for the first timer or gather the whole family to enjoy the sport of fishing together. 

Please note all New York State fishing regulations apply and check out New York State’s Free Fishing Days information here:

https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/learn-to-fish

Is it a good day to fish? Check out AccuWeather’s Fish Predictor for Keuka Lake:

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/keuka-lake-state-park/14478/fishing-weather/50605_poi

Need a rod? Need bait? 

Finger Lakes Fishing

240 Lake St Plaza, Penn Yan, NY 14527

Phone: (607) 244-782

Go fishing here:

Keuka State Park

3560 Pepper Road 

Bluff Point, NY 14478

Website: https://parks.ny.gov/visit/state-parks/keuka-lake-state-park

Go fishing here:

Keuka Outlet Trail

Penn Yan Trail Head Location: 360 Elm St, Penn Yan, NY 14527

Dresden Trail Tail Location: 100 Seneca St, Dresden, NY 14441

Website: https://www.keukaoutlettrail.org

Claudia Milroy

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you stay awhile and come back often. I started the weekly newsletter and this website for tourists and locals alike. I once was a tourist (over a decade ago) and now I’m a local, living here, working here, raising a family here! And I sure do love it!

Naturally I first fell in love with the rolling hills and cool lake breezes. But as I returned again and again, for a different season and different reason, Penn Yan stuck with me. I recall first it was the hint of grape when you drive by a vineyard and then the caramelized, roasted air that wafted down Main Street from Birkett Mills. Visit after visit my husband and I hit all the tourists stops because of my curiosity. Full disclosure - my husband was raised in Penn Yan and he knew all the ins and outs of the area to woo me! Travel & history nerd here! So, through our years of dating and early years of marriage (p.s. we got married in the Finger Lakes!) we would visit family, friends, and our favorite spots. Then the day came when our son was just 6 months old and we decided it was time to move to Penn Yan! Now 10 years later I’m here to share my love of this place with you!

I hope you enjoy this, I hope you take away some cool and fun inspiration for your next adventure. If you're planning a trip, please don’t hesitate to reach out - I’d love to personalize an experience or a 7 day itinerary for you.

https://waterandwineweekly.com
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